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Nile Kinnick correspondence, June-August 1942
1942-06-20: Front
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Saturday June 20, 1942 Dear George: Ben tells me in his last letter that you have gone to work lugging 100 lb. bags of sugar out of boxcars. Such a job should be just the thing for you at your age. It will toughen you up, fill you out, develop you where you should be developed. It may seem pretty hard at first, and you may come home all fagged out and ready to hit the hay right after supper, but keep at it. You'll be surprised at the tolerance for manual labor you can build up. And above all learn to laugh and joke as you work, otherwise it will become quite monotonous. I need hardly add that you will do well not to participate in nor assimilate the gutter talk with which you will undoubtedly be surrounded; neither, or course, need you be disturbed nor annoyed by it. I presume you are looking forward with great anticipation to earning some money of your own. I well remember some of the first outside work that I aver did----$1 a day scything weeds for Simon Legree Bice, .50 cents a day and board and keep for tending the threshing machine tractor for Frank Erdman, $1.50 a day for hauling bundles for Mr. Erhardt, $2.00 a day, from 6:30 in the morning until 12.30 at night, working in the Self-Service grocery store, $10 and board and keep for a whole summer's work at Uncle Wilburs the summer he had no crops whatsoever, to say nothing of that $2 a day nightmare shoveling grain at Frank Taylor's elevator. All "good experience" as mother would say, and I am forced to agree, but not nearly as easy, as pleasant, nor as lucrative as making 20 minute speeches at 25 or 50 dollars a crack. I shall be interested to hear how you get along and how much you are making. Perhaps you are wondering how I happen to still be at Pensacola when I indicated in a recent letter that Friday would be my departure date for Miami. It turns out that my orders have not yet arrived from Washington andprobably won't until Mon, all of which is plenty all right with me, since I felt that I was getting a bit stale on flying in the last squadron I wnet thru. A little rest and relaxation will be just the thing to sharpen me up again. Until Mon. at least I shall continue to arise around 6:30 which is late for this base, read awhile, write a few letters, play a little golf, loll on the beach, go out for supper, and in general enjoy a life of leisure. As my plans now stand I shall leave for Miami on Tues, taking with me Jack Wright from St. Joseph, Mo., the boy with whom I have been rooming, Harold Bird, a likeable chap from Larned, Kans. and Sam (Red) Garton, a farmer boy, from Humeston, Iowa. Haven't mapped out just what route we will take, but want to drive along rather leisurely stopping all night at towns of more than passing interest. If we leave on Tues. we won't have to report in until midnight Friday which gives enough time to look around a little en route and, also, in Miami itself. Had a little work done on my car the other day. Left it at a Ford garage for a motor tune-up, grease job, change of oil, wash and simonize. It really is in pretty excellent shape now and looks quite snappy. Even you would give your approval, I am sure. Bob finishes up at squadron three today and will report out at two Sun. night, so you see it won't be long before he, too, will heading Miami way. Pettit, after flunking the low pressure test, (he got the bends at 35,000) received an happy surprise in getting VP duty. He had supposed that he would get VO-VS because hisnavigation grades weren't too sharp. Work with multiple motor planes will be of more interest and value to him. Enclosed are some pictures taken out at squadron two. Hills and Edwards are two fellows with whom I became pretty good friends out there. Have some other pictures at the photo lab now which I shall send along soon. Much love, and tell Gus to take it easy on Father's day. Will drop you all a card from Miami and hope that you write soon. Yours, Nile
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Saturday June 20, 1942 Dear George: Ben tells me in his last letter that you have gone to work lugging 100 lb. bags of sugar out of boxcars. Such a job should be just the thing for you at your age. It will toughen you up, fill you out, develop you where you should be developed. It may seem pretty hard at first, and you may come home all fagged out and ready to hit the hay right after supper, but keep at it. You'll be surprised at the tolerance for manual labor you can build up. And above all learn to laugh and joke as you work, otherwise it will become quite monotonous. I need hardly add that you will do well not to participate in nor assimilate the gutter talk with which you will undoubtedly be surrounded; neither, or course, need you be disturbed nor annoyed by it. I presume you are looking forward with great anticipation to earning some money of your own. I well remember some of the first outside work that I aver did----$1 a day scything weeds for Simon Legree Bice, .50 cents a day and board and keep for tending the threshing machine tractor for Frank Erdman, $1.50 a day for hauling bundles for Mr. Erhardt, $2.00 a day, from 6:30 in the morning until 12.30 at night, working in the Self-Service grocery store, $10 and board and keep for a whole summer's work at Uncle Wilburs the summer he had no crops whatsoever, to say nothing of that $2 a day nightmare shoveling grain at Frank Taylor's elevator. All "good experience" as mother would say, and I am forced to agree, but not nearly as easy, as pleasant, nor as lucrative as making 20 minute speeches at 25 or 50 dollars a crack. I shall be interested to hear how you get along and how much you are making. Perhaps you are wondering how I happen to still be at Pensacola when I indicated in a recent letter that Friday would be my departure date for Miami. It turns out that my orders have not yet arrived from Washington andprobably won't until Mon, all of which is plenty all right with me, since I felt that I was getting a bit stale on flying in the last squadron I wnet thru. A little rest and relaxation will be just the thing to sharpen me up again. Until Mon. at least I shall continue to arise around 6:30 which is late for this base, read awhile, write a few letters, play a little golf, loll on the beach, go out for supper, and in general enjoy a life of leisure. As my plans now stand I shall leave for Miami on Tues, taking with me Jack Wright from St. Joseph, Mo., the boy with whom I have been rooming, Harold Bird, a likeable chap from Larned, Kans. and Sam (Red) Garton, a farmer boy, from Humeston, Iowa. Haven't mapped out just what route we will take, but want to drive along rather leisurely stopping all night at towns of more than passing interest. If we leave on Tues. we won't have to report in until midnight Friday which gives enough time to look around a little en route and, also, in Miami itself. Had a little work done on my car the other day. Left it at a Ford garage for a motor tune-up, grease job, change of oil, wash and simonize. It really is in pretty excellent shape now and looks quite snappy. Even you would give your approval, I am sure. Bob finishes up at squadron three today and will report out at two Sun. night, so you see it won't be long before he, too, will heading Miami way. Pettit, after flunking the low pressure test, (he got the bends at 35,000) received an happy surprise in getting VP duty. He had supposed that he would get VO-VS because hisnavigation grades weren't too sharp. Work with multiple motor planes will be of more interest and value to him. Enclosed are some pictures taken out at squadron two. Hills and Edwards are two fellows with whom I became pretty good friends out there. Have some other pictures at the photo lab now which I shall send along soon. Much love, and tell Gus to take it easy on Father's day. Will drop you all a card from Miami and hope that you write soon. Yours, Nile
Nile Kinnick Collection
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